EXCLUSIVE: ARCHIE Launching New Classic Digest Series

FIRST LOOK:Archie and Me Comics Digest #1 kicks off in October — with a mix of new and retro…

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Sometimes lost amid the hoopla of Archie Comics’ modern revamp of the last couple of years — not to mention the subversive nighttime soap Riverdale — is that the company still produces new material, including by modern master Dan Parent.

Case in point, the new Archie and Me Comics Digest, which kicks off in October, replacing Jughead and Archie Comics Double Digest, which will end in August with Issue #27.

The digests typically feature a new story backed by a series of reprints for about $5-$7. Since only the most die-hard of Archie fans have collected the older material, the digests are a seamless way to enjoy the retro stylings of Archie, Betty, Veronica and the rest of the gang at Pop’s.

Here’s the official solicitation info for Archie and Me Comics Digest #1:

BRAND NEW DIGEST SERIES! In “Sick Day,” everyone’s caught the flu that’s been going around, except for Jughead. He decides to help out the Andrews family—but his unconventional methods don’t go over too well!

But that’s not all! We also have for you an EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW of Jughead and Archie #26, due 7/12. Check out this SNEAK PEEK at the issues’s new story written by Dan Parent, with art by Pat and Tim Kennedy, as well as a glimpse at one of the reprint jobs:

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3 Comments

The title implied that the idea of an Archie Digest reprinting classic stories was new. All it meant was that ine’s getting cancelled and replaced by a different title.
I may be in the minority but I never could warm up to Dan Parent’s art. I know he adheres to the “classic” house style, but as a LONG time Archie fan (and a fan of the Archie artists’ work with Stan Lee in the 50s), I can distinguish art styles (between Decarlo, Goldberg, Vigoda, Hartley and ESPECIALLY Harry Lucey). Parent’s profiles and faces just don’t do it for me. When he became the house style (and main artist) right before the reboot, I just stopped reading the books. I do love both the classic stuff (mainly late 50s to early 90s; also a bit lukewarm of Rudy Lapick’s later inking; he was stellar back in the day, though) as well as the reboot Archie title. (Jughead and Josie I gave a long sample to but lost interest.)

You can say what you want about Dan Parent, but he’s done more to keep the classic Archie style alive than any other artist since Dan DeCarlo. It’s no coincidence that he is given most of the classic Archie cover assignments and merchandising art. He’s been the company’s best writer as well, since people like Kathleen Webb and Craig Boldman stopped writing, and in fact is now the only creator left still writing classic-style Archie stories. When he stops that will truly be “the death of Archie”, regardless of whatever reboots or horror comics the company is still publishing.

The fact that Jughead, the company’s second most popular character since 1949, can no longer support his own comic (floppy or digest format) is certainly an ominous sign that the end cannot be not far off. Even their attempted reboot of Jughead fizzled after 16 issues.

My question would be why is a 128-page digest priced at $6.99 cover price, when that’s what the company prices its Jumbo Comics (256-page) digests at? Hopefully the information here on either the page count or cover price is in error.